A weaving machine is disclosed in Dutch patent publication No. 82 04665 which contains means for removing defectively inserted weft threads from the shed. The means disclosed in this case provide for an element which can be moved back and forth through the length of the shed and is introduced into the shed from the weft insertion side of the weaving machine. The element is passed between the cloth line and the weft thread to be released from the fell. However, this device has the disadvantage that the element is moved back and forth in the weft direction over the warp threads and consequently can catch on the wrap threads and damage them. Another disadvantage of this device is that it is only suitable for releasing sectins of weft thread which are located at the weft insertion side of the machine. In the case of a broken weft thread, the other section of broken thread is not released. Yet another disadvantage of this device is that it requires alot of space at the weft insertion side of the shed and this entails difficulties in positioning the other necessary components of the loom.
A similar device for releasing defectively inserted weft threads is also disclosed in the Dutch patent publication No. 82 02215. In this case, the defectively inserted weft thread is released at a number of points in the shed and then drawn through the uppermost warp threads. The actual release of the faulty weft thread is carried out by allowing a hook-shaped element to slide over the cloth until it reaches the vicinity of the cloth line, the beaten-up defectively inserted weft thread, which has already been beaten-up but not yet fixed in position, is released and taken to the center of the shed by the hook-shaped element. This device does not, however, offer complete reliability in consisently releasing the defectively inserted weft thread since, if the defectively inserted weft thread is securely clamped between the warp threads, the hook-shaped element will slide over the defectively inserted weft thread and fail in releasing the weft thread from the fell.
A shuttleless weaving machine is disclosed in the British patent publication No. 1,430,520 in which a defectively inserted weft thread, more particularly a broken weft thread, is removed from the shed from either side of the shed by means of devices installed on both sides of the shed.